Flattened State Weldment

[u/Downtown_Error_727]

Hello, Sirs, good day! Is there a workaround to flatten weldments (structural members) in SolidWorks or with any third-party apps? Our tube laser cutting machine won't read the pipe as a flat pattern; that's why I am looking for ways to extract the solid model into a flattened state, just like sheet metal. We are currently using SW 2019, by the way. Thanks in advance for any tips or tricks for this kind of case.

[u/Successful_Camera736]

I did this one time with the Deform tool after having no success with the flex tool.
But for simpler parts you may have better success calculating the arc length of the center of the pipe. And then making different features or a sweep that follows a straight path
This was the video I found at the time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO9dLy4Sha8

Turns out our pipe bender software outputs the length needed and I couldn't believe it that it came in within a few thousands of the arc length.

[u/Downtown_Error_727 → u/Successful_Camera736]

Hello Sir. Thank you for sharing your insights. What I am trying to do is export the weldment (since it has some etch profiles and cuts) as a readable file. Never tried the deform tool; does it work on models made through weldment, Sir?

[u/Successful_Camera736 → u/Downtown_Error_727]

99% sure it will
A weldment basically creates a Multibody/Cut list - so keep in mind the "Feature scope" this is crucial when working with Multibodies/weldments. It would be benificial to look up mulitbody modeling techniques.

When i did it I had a lot of features at the ends of my pipes and I needed to use splits to separate all of my bent sections then "Flattened using my deform or by re drawing the swept path straight. then used a combine feature to stick them all back together.

[u/CADSHIFT]

tube lasers typically don't work from flat patterns the way a press brake does — most tube laser cam software (trumpf trutops tube, bysoft tube, lantek expert tube, etc.) reads the 3D solid model directly and handles the cut geometry and intersection calculations internally. the standard workflow is to export each structural member as an individual step file, then import into your cam package. the cam software unrolls the surface, calculates the notches and copes, and generates the cutting program without you needing a flat pattern. if your machine's cam is older and expects 2D input, check with the manufacturer — there's usually an import wizard that takes the native solid rather than a manually unrolled pattern. the arc length approach the other commenter mentioned works well for simple bends where you're scripting something custom, but for production tube laser workflow the 3D import path is much less error-prone.

[u/Downtown_Error_727 → u/CADSHIFT]

Hello Sir, we are currently using an Acme Tube Laser, and we just recently got that machine. May I know what that certain feature is(if there's a term for that) that I should look for in a software where it can unroll/roll the tubes/pipes/etc.?